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Karen McCluskey
'''Karen McCluskey' was Wisteria Lane's local babysitter who loves to cause trouble, who was orginally introduced as Lynette Scavo's nemesis. She is mainly refered to as Mrs. McCluskey rather than Karen. Biography 'Early Life' At a moment of her life, she met Gilbert McCluskey, a man who sold insurance. However, Gilbert was married with an another woman, since two years. Gilbert left this woman and married with Karen. The two moved in Wisteria Lane, in the 4358 Wisteria Lane, in 1982. ("Gossip"/"Finishing the Hat") Later, Karen gave birth to a son. However, it was discovered her son was sick, and he died, when he was 12 years old. ("Love is in the Air") Sometimes later, Karen had sex with Gilbert's brother. It was suggested, Gilbert learned this adultery. One morning, Karen's husband woke up and decided he wanted to move to Paris and paint naked ladies. Karen wasn't ok with him, and Gilbert despised her, for the rest of his life. ("Nice She Ain't") Every wedding anniversary, Gilbert bought an appliance, for Karen. But, the last one, he gave her a vacuum cleaner. ("My Husband, the Pig") Two weeks later, Karen came home from a weekend in Laughlin and found Gilbert in front of the TV dead. Karen didn't cry. It was 2 in the morning so she waited the morning to call the funeral service. She went to his desk to make sure that everything was in order. She found his pension plan and in the event of his death she was not the beneficiary it was his first wife, because he forgot to change it, even if him and Karen were married 34 years old. Then, she hid him in the freezer and kept caching the checks, because she was scared to loose everything. ("Gossip") 'Season 1' Lynette is surprised when Porter, Preston and Parker give her a present she actually likes - a beautiful flower pot they made for her. But then Mrs. McCluskey claims it's hers, and she has proof - there's a price tag on the bottom. Lynette lets the boys off with a warning, if they swear never to do it again and write apology notes. Then Mrs. McCluskey accuses the boys of stealing her clock. The war escalates when Mrs. McCluskey runs over one of the boys' bikes with her car and Lynette retaliates by throwing eggs. Tom discovers a treasure trove of stolen things in the boys' playhouse, including the clock. The boys go over to apologize in person and Mrs. McCluskey shows an unexpectedly soft side when she reveals that her own son died when he was 12. It's a side Lynette, who waited outside, will never see. ("Love is in the Air") Karen collapses, in front of her house, after taking too much medication. Lynette reluctantly does the right thing and calls the paramedics and then rides along to the hospital. To thank Lynette for saving her life, Mrs. McCluskey presents her with a Tiffany lamp. But it comes with strings attached - now she wants to come over to chat and to tag along on Lynette's errands. Lynette responds by handing back the lamp. The next day, Lynette signs for a package for Mrs. McCluskey when she doesn't answer the door. Lynette lets herself in and finds that the older woman can't open her bottles of arthritis medicine. Mrs. McCluskey tells her not to help if it's only because she feels obligated since they're not friends. Lynette sternly tells her life is obligation - and she'll be over in the morning to take her to the pharmacy so she can get child-proof bottles. Then she takes back the Tiffany lamp. ("Live Alone and Like It") 'Season 2 Lynette worries that her twin sons, Porter and Preston will fall prey to a stranger if one ever approaches. Lynette stages Stu from work to show up and drive away with Porter and Preston. With Lynette and Tom watching at a distant, Stu approaches the boys and bribes them with candy which they fall for and jump into the car. Unexpectedly, Karen sees the entire scene from her window and begins to tase Stu. Lynette runs out of the house to help Stu and tries to shoo McCluskey away. ("The Sun Won't Set") Bree collapses on the front lawn and falls asleep only to be discovered by Mrs. McCluskey the following morning. Andrew then wakes his mother up by turning on the sprinkler system. Bree wakes up instantly and has a hangover from the evening prior. Later, Mrs. McCluskey tells Lynette she saw Bree drunk and that if she was the babysitter she would never be drunk while watching someone else's children. Lynette refuses to believe this. ("Thank You So Much") After a day of babysitting Lynette's kids, Mrs. McCluskey tells Lynette that Parker asked her to show him her vagina, so that he could put a sunflower seed in there and see if a baby would grow. McCluskey advises Lynette to tell him that sex is dirty and shame him. Lynette refuses to do it initially. But then, when Lynette involuntarily shames him, she instantly finds a new obsession for Parker to fret over: a puppy. ("Don't Look at Me") Lynette places the children in Mrs. McCluskey's care and follows Tom to Atlantic City. Later, after discover the true, Lynette returns to Fairview to gather the children and leave. Then, Tom returns to an empty home and asks Mrs. McCluskey where his family is. Mrs. McCluskey explains that Lynette followed him to Atlantic City and knows about his woman. ("No One is Alone") Karen, with Carlos, Tom and Gabrielle (as well as other residents of the neighborhood) looking on, when Betty is arrested. She looks at them and flashes a nervous smile, before looking away. ("Remember, Part 1") When Matthew's body is taken out Bree's house by the paramedics, Karen's head is seen, briefly. ("Remember, Part 2") Season 3 Edie is trying to sell the Young house for six months now. Karen is telling to people about the freak accident that happened in this house including the two fingers of Felicia Tilman who was never found. Edie knocks her out of the house. Karen replies with "Maybe you'll have an easier time with the Applewhite house and that rec room in the basement." ("Listen to the Rain on the Roof") Lynette, Gabrielle, Susan, and Karen are sitting around an outdoor patio table, chatting. Lynette announces Tom wants open a pizzeria. Lynette hopes Tom will realise it's a bad idea. But, Karen answers that's never gonna happen, because he is a man. Then, she explains her husband sold insurance for thirty-six years, and one day, he woke up and decided he wanted to move to Paris and paint naked ladies. Karen wasn't ok with him, and Gilbert despised her, for the rest of his life. And because she slept with his brother, too. ("Nice She Aint") When Ian knocks on her door, Susan drops behind her car to hide and Mrs. McCluskey, who's walking by, stops to look at Susan. Susan puts her finger to her mouth to request silence. But, Karen asks what Susan is doing. Ian hears her, and Susan is discovered. Mrs. McCluskey laughs and walks away. ("Sweetheart, I Have to Confess") At Gabrielle’s house, Karen rings her doorbell and Gabrielle answers. Karen tells Gabrielle to turn on the TV, Gabrielle says it’s on the fritz. She then tells her to turn on the radio, but Gabrielle says she should’ve come ten minutes earlier. Karen then tells Gaby about Carolyn at the supermarket and says she has hostages. Gabby is shocked and then Karen announces that everyone is watching it at Bree’s house. However, as she’s talking Karen notices the destruction in Gaby’s house. Karen asks if everything’s okay, but Gaby says everything’s fine. However, Carlos then walks behind Gabrielle and he starts to rev a chainsaw. Gabrielle then excuses herself and then chases after Carlos; Karen watches through the window in the door. Later, at Bree's house, Karen is shocked, like the other persons, when she learned a gunshot was heard. ("Bang") Mike is discharged from the hospital. Edie cleans his house and discovers Karen has been stealing his lawn mower. Mike is still the suspect of Monique’s murder. Detective Ridley gets a warrant to search his house. He is looking for Mike’s toolbox, which he can’t find. Later, Mrs. McCluskey gives the toolbox back to Mike and tells him to clean his wrench. Karen was hiding it as a thank you for Mike saving her life. ("Children and Art") Lynette is sitting outside her house on a bench, talking with Mrs. McCluskey. She shares her suspicions, about Art, with Karen. Karen believes her and she decides to do something herself. She picks up a cell phone and dials a number. ("Beautiful Girls") The residents of Wisteria Lane have a holiday block party. Art dresses as Santa Claus, but all the parents won't let their kids near him, because Mrs. McCluskey has spread the word that he's a pedophile. The tomorrow, Mike is arrested, for Monique's murder. Susan and Bree walk over to Mrs. McCluskey, who's on the sidewalk in front of Mike's house, and ask her what is going on. Later, Lynette asks why the neighborhood women making protest signs. Karen answers it's because Art is a menace. She says too Lynette is their hero, because she discovered Art's true character. ("The Miracle Song") Lynette is speaking with Karen about Tom and the liquor support and that she intends to call him and help him but Mrs McCluskey advices her to do it without letting Tom know about it. ("Not While I'm Around") Mrs. McCluskey is babysitting Kayla. The doorbell rings, and it is Ed, dropping by a gift basket for Lynette. Mrs. McCluskey goes along with the lie and tells him she's at a doctor appointment. But Kayla, continuing to hate Lynette, tells Ed the truth. ("Come Play Wiz Me") Mrs. McCluskey is babysitting the kids but Lynette couldn't relax because she kept thinking about the fight she had with Tom. Karen says Tom tries to be romantic. She also mentions her husband, for each wedding anniversary, bought her an appliance. But, the last one, he gave her a vacuum cleaner. Karen adds Gilbert died, two weeks later, and she didn't cry. ("My Husband, the Pig") Mrs McCluskey baby-sits Tom and the kids while Lynette's out at work desperately trying to find a good assistant manager for the restaurant. Tom becomes a burden for Mrs McCluskey and she takes the kids to the pizzeria, telling Lynette she quits. Later, Tom phones Mrs McCluskey and apologises for his behavior, and she accepts, and when Mary Alice closes the episode with the theme of passion, we see the body of Mrs McCluskey's husband lying at the bottom of her freezer in the basement. ("Liaisons") The power goes out on Wisteria Lane. Karen has a problem with her husband's corpse in the freezer. When she takes a fall down the basement stairs she fractures a rib and is taken away by paramedics. At first, she refuses because she's worried about Gilbert thawing, but as she's wheeled into the amulance, the power comes back on, reassuring her it will be all right. The tomorrow, Tom and Lynette are arguing, and when Parker asks for ice cream and they say no, they decide to go to Karen's to take some. While down there, Parker discovers the body and asks his mother to visit Mrs. McCluskey in the hospital. While visiting, Parker reveals he saw the body, and she explains everything to him. While looking after the house, Ida Greenberg notices a strange smell and also discovers Gilbert's body, and Mrs. McCluskey awakens in the hospital to have two officers standing by her bed. Later, Karen is left alone in the dark in a prison cell. ("God, That's Good") Susan, Lynette and Gabrielle talk about Karen, and her husband in the freezer. They think Karen has killed Gilbert. Later, Parker goes see Karen and tells her that she has to come back and baby sits them because the new sitter stinks. Then, Parker tells her that if she just told people about her husband everything could be fine. She tells Parker to look at some women and tells him that nothing she could say would stop them from gossiping. Later, some kids are looking at Karen’s house and one of them goes and spells WITCH on her front door. Karen gets out of the house and kids all run away. Parker tells her that everything would be OK if she just told people what she told him because she can make them stop. Finally, Karen decides to tell the true to the other women. Then, Lynette asks Karen if she wants come back and babysitting the kids. She accepts. ("Gossip") Karen is a guest at Gabrielle and Victor's wedding. She asks Gabrielle if she heard the brouhaha between Carlos and Edie. But, Gaby answers she doesn't care, because she is filled with love and she cans forgive anyone anything. ("Getting Married Today") Season 4 The night after Gaby's wedding, Karen orders Carlos to take in the trash cans. Back inside, Edie's plan backfires and she really does hang herself. Carlos and Karen see Edie's lifeless body hanging through her bedroom window. One month later, at Katherine's BBQ, Karen compliments Katherine on her new husband. Then, Karen asks why Katherine left so suddenly Wisteria Lane but Katherine excuses herself so she doesn't have to answer. Later, Ida and Karen call her over saying they've saved her a place at their table. Susan starts crying and runs away, because she thinks she is in menopause, and she is too young for that. ("Now You Know") Dylan returns home and passes by Mrs. McCluskey's house. Karen strikes up a conversation with Dylan about how she used to always see her playing on her tricycle around the neighborhood with her father close behind. Dylan is surprised, because she thought her father left her mother when she was a baby. ("Smiles of a Summer Night") Gabrielle, Susan, Katherine, Bree, and Karen are startled by the large, unattractive sculpture on Bob and Lee’s front lawn. They consider using the services of the neighborhood homeowners association, though it hasn’t been active since Mary Alice’s death. The women confront Bob and Lee. Bob’s respectful towards the women while Lee’s quick to snap, and say it’s not going anywhere. The women agree to bring back the homeowners association. ("Art Isn't Easy") Season 5 When Edie returns to Fairview with her new husband, Dave Williams, Karen welcomes her back and continues to tease and make jokes to her like they used to. And when she continues to do so, Edie begins to get upset and Dave asks Karen if she could stop. She asks him to leave her house and finds it rude he can come over and ask for a favor when he doesen't know her. Dave tells her she knows that she must be lonely as she talked to Toby as if it was a person and that by the photos on the wall she used to have a family, but doesen't anymore - with that Karen asks Dave to leave. Later on, Toby mysteriously goes missing and while searching for him Dave asks her whats wrong and Karen asks him to help her look for the cat - Dave refuses however when Karen refuses again to apologize to Edie. Karen then begins to suspect that Dave had took Toby. Karen apolgises to Edie and asks Edie to tell Dave she did so - and when returning home that night her window was open and Toby was back. Karen's suspcions of Dave begins to grow and she enlists the help of Katherine in order find out more information so the two of them invite Edie out for lunch in order to learn more information about Dave. Edie however doesen't know much and tells them shes getting uncomfortable with the questions. Later in the episode during a dinner party Edie questions Dave (due to Karen saying to Edie she doesen't know enough about her own husband) infront of everyone about where he went to college - Dave tells Edie he didn't graduate because he had to look after his family. It's Karen's 70th birthday and the residents organise a suprise party for her at Susan's house however when Dave breaks into Karen's house and moves stuff around in order to annoy her. Karen arrives at the party with a baseball bat and goes to attack Dave, but is stopped. Karen yells at Dave in front of everyone saying he's changed things in her house and things were in different places - everyone looks on worried as they believe she is going crazy. Karen is taken away in an ambulance and Dave tells her to take care and she gets driven off. In the hospital Edie visits her and Karen apologizes, saying her pills had made her accuse and attack Dave. Edie accepts the apology and after she leaves Karen reveals it was all an act and she rings her sister, Roberta, asking her to come over. Together the two of them try to find out more information about Dave's past and they discover he was a paitent of a Doctor who works for people with anger problems and for a mental institution. When they visit, however, the doctor is not there (he was actually killed by Dave). Roberta then tells Karen shes had enough and that she can't help anymore and she leaves. Karen returns to Fairview and, later on, hangs out with Edie and she tells Karen about his past and how he lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. Karen apologizes, saying she wouldn't have done what she did to Dave if she knew that as she lost a child herself and knows what it can do to a person. Karen invites Edie over for drinks which delays her from discovering that Dave was after Mike, who was the one who crashed into Dave's wife and child. Karen is shown to offer the paperboy a tip if he throws her paper onto her porch instead of the lawn. Karen and Roberta once again try to find out more information about Dave by breaking into his house after Roberta got a call from Dr. Heller's receptionist, saying he died in the fire. Karen and Roberta are caught by the police and taken to the station where they discover Dave's ex-wife and daughter were the ones killed in the accident which involved Mike and Susan. Roberta then mentions how freaky it was that Dave changed his name to live with the people who were involved with his family's death. Season 6 Karen is given a love interest this season named Roy Bender. When Gaby offers to collect Karen from the grocery store, Karen spends the whole time in the car talking about her sex life with Roy. She later watches as Julie fights with her new neighbor Danny Bolen on the street. The first time Karen McCluskey met Roy Bender she smiled at him to her surprise. The next time they met, Roy smiled back. They then continued to flirt for a week until they decided to sleep together. They went out for weeks until one day Karen decided she needed to know how he felt while they were out for a walk, Karen told Roy that she loved him. Roy didn't respond until Karen urged him on. He was about to tell her he loved her when he noticed Julie Mayer unconscious in a garden. Karen then screamed at the top of her voice, informing Wisteria Lane of Julie's brutal attack. sleep.]] Later Karen tells Roy that she doesn't know whether she should tell the police that she saw Julie and Danny Bolen fighting on the street a few days previous. She tells him that she doesn't want to point fingers. Roy then tells her she should tell them because she doesn't have to do it alone. He then tells her that he would be sad if Karen got hit by a bus but when Karen says that he will have to shower alone tonight, Roy tells her that he loves her. Karen later watches as Danny is arrested. She later visits Katherine Mayfair at the mental hospital she is staying to encourage her to come back to Wisteria Lane. She later brings the housewives with her to convince her to come back. In the sixth season episode, The Chase, Karen gets engaged to Roy, and learns she has lung cancer. However, two episodes later in My Two Young Men we learn that Karen has already beaten cancer, and Roy throws a party for her, which all the neighbors of Wisteria Lane attend. Season 7 Karen conflicts with Paul Young, when he returns to Wisteria Lane. It is revealed at the end of "A Humiliating Business" that she and Roy are now married, so, their marriage happened off-screen. In "The Lies Ill-Concealed" Karen is suprised to learn that Felicia is back on Wisteria Lane. It is also revealed that Karen was present the night Felicia framed Paul for murder, but allowed Felicia to escape. Later, Karen visits Felicia and is shocked to discover that Beth was Felicia's daughter. She agrees to help keep an eye on Paul. Season 8 ' I n Season 8 Karen finds out she has terminal cancer. She over hears Gaby saying she will take the blame for the murder so Carlos doesn't go to jail, but before Gaby took to the stand Karen goes up and confesses to Murdering Ramon / Alejandro stating it was no secret he was Abusing Gaby and that she saw him in Gaby and Carlos house and she went over, got the candlestick and hit him.. thus leading to his death. Bree was spared from jail, and because Karen was old, frail and dying of Cancer and the situation of the abuse, they decide to spare Karen from jail also. Days later, Karen died with Roy by her bedside in "Finishing the Hat", whilst listening to her favourite song, Johnny Mathis' "Wonderful, Wonderful". Bree and Trip get the phonecall to say she had died during Renee and Ben's wedding and they rush to her house, where Bree is seen crying into Trip's arms. 'Post-Death' When Susan Delfino decides to leave Wisteria Lane with her children, MJ Delfino and Julie Mayer, and granddaughter, Karen's ghost appeared alongside her son, in front of her old house, and they watched the family as they drove away from the lane and began their new lives together. ("Finishing the Hat") Trivia *After Season 5, Marc Cherry considered making a spin-off of Desperate Housewives that would star Mrs. McCluskey and her sister Roberta. However the idea was cancelled, as instead Mrs. McCluskey was made into a series regular as of Season 6. *Cherry stated that he agreed not to kill off Karen. However, he clearly had a change of heart and decided to have her die in the series finale. *Karen has had cancer twice. *Karen tried to commit suicide in Season 8 Episode 16, and she was one of the characters who was close to dying, however it was Mike Delfino who died. *Karen has lived on Wisteria Lane for 35 years. Gallery Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character. Promo 705 15.png Promo 705 16.png Promo 708 13.png Promo 708 14.png Promo 708 15.png Promo 708 18.png Promo 710 15.png Promo 710 16.png Promo 723 02.png Promo 723 05.png Promo 723 06.png Promo 723 13.png Promo 723 16.png Promo 817 02.png Promo 817 04.png Promo 817 05.png Promo 817 20.png Promo 823 04.png Promo 823 05.png Promo 823 20.png Promo 823 21.png de:Karen McCluskey fr:Mary Alice Young Category:Main characters Category:Season 1 characters Category:Season 2 characters Category:Season 3 characters Category:Season 4 characters Category:Season 5 characters Category:Season 6 characters Category:Season 7 characters Category:Season 8 characters Category:Characters in all 8 seasons Category:Deceased characters Category:Finale Ghosts Category:Widowed characters Category:Incarcerated characters Category:Wisteria Lane residents Category:Karen's family Category:Incarcerated characters